Stampede 66 Restaurant Review

: Renowned chef Stephan Pyles tips his toque to Texas at Stampede 66, a stylish restaurant in Uptown Dallas on the ground floor of the Park Seventeen high-rise apartment building. Named after a dance hall in Pyles’s hometown of Big Spring, Stampede 66 is irrepressible fun, with its bodacious atmosphere and a menu that's both funky and foodie. Pyles and executive chef Jon Thompson take comfort fare like meatloaf, fried chicken and chicken-fried steak and give it a highbrow makeover, often with a clever twist. A bowl of chili, made with ground beef and chilies, arrives at the table in a custom tin can. "Freeto pie" features chili spooned over house-made corn chips, and is served in a foil bag. Fried chicken gets injected with honey as a finishing touch, for an addictive sweetness that contrasts with the crunchy crust. Venison meatloaf, finely textured and flavorful, comes with sautéed Brussels sprouts and mac ‘n’ cheese presented in a wee iron pan. For more casual noshing, Stampede has tacos, with house-made tortillas enclosing fillings such as brisket, fried oysters, sweetbreads or pork barbacoa. Cocktails reflect the mixology trend; the avocado margarita, for example, is concocted with muddled cilantro and avocado ice cream. Décor is a showstopper, with massive longhorns hanging from the ceiling, cactus and horse heads sculpted from wire, and a circular room with a fire pit. At the bar, the TVs are set to old Westerns, just like they used to be at Star Canyon, Pyles’s seminal restaurant from the ’90s. But it’s another decade and Pyles is here to stay.